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Mitsubishi has big plans to take fuel efficiency and hybrid vehicles to new levels of performance and utility. Pictured above is the 2013 Outlander Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (“PHEV”), a vehicle that Mitsubishi plans to announce at the 2012 Paris International Auto Show. A PHEV combines the best features of an all-electric vehicle and a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Owners of PHEVs can charge their vehicles overnight, much like they would an all-electric vehicle like the Mi-EV or the Nissan Leaf. Unlike either of these vehicles, a PHEV also has a gasoline engine, which extends the range of the vehicle beyond that of a typical all-electric vehicle.

The Outlander PHEV will also offer a sophisticated four-wheel drive system for added versatility, and a powertrain that operates in one of several modes: an “EV Drive” mode that powers the vehicle’s motors with electricity only, a “Series Hybrid” mode whereby the gasoline engine on the Outlander PHEV operates as a generator to provide the motors with electricity, and a “Parallel Hybrid” mode, which works like most traditional hybrid vehicles whereby the electric motors and gasoline engine function in unison to drive the Outlander PHEV.

So far no release date has been set for an American version of the Outlander PHEV. But, with Mitsubishi’s current goals to provide consumers with a wide variety of hybrid and electric vehicles, many expect to see the Outlander PHEV in the United States soon after its launch in Europe.

For more information on the Outlander PHEV’s debut in Paris, click here.